Thailand

wow.....I can't believe I left almost a week ago. Seems like an enternity as there's just been so much going on. One of the parts of traveling that I really enjoy is how much longer the days seem when everything is new every day.

I'm currently in Koh Pi Pi, a gorgeous island in southern Thailand but I'll start with a quick re-cap of Bangkok as we spent a couple pretty hilarious days there.

Bangkok

Being that there ended up being 6 of us (met up with Pat's cousin and buddy) we made our way to the super-backpacker strip known as Khao San Road. It's a complete shit-show and we figured we might as well participate for a day or two. Essentially, it's a couple hundred yards of everything you could ever want to buy (knock-offs), massages (including a one where fish nibble at your feet), restaurants, bars, clubs, food vendors, etc.

Anyway, we got some rooms at Khao San Palace (sweet roof-top pool)and grabbed food and beers. You have to bargain for EVERYTHING here. Any price vendors quote you is 3-4 times more than for a local. Pat has pretty much mastered the haggle, walk-away, and even when they agree, just keeps walking.

The city is just so busy, cars, scooters, motor-bikes, tuk tuks, are everywhere and going soooooo fast. People hassling you to buy whatever they're selling (you get used to this), food everywhere, music blasting, and its 85 degrees out at 9am.

Needless to say, we sampled a fair number of bars ended the night laughing at Pat and Jake grubbing on a variety of fried bugs. All in all, it's a huge tourist scene but pretty fun for a night or two.